The final group in my flower series is officially finished. I still played with a lot of texture in these flowers, and really worked to make these pop off the canvas.

I largely worked simultaneously on the fuchsias and the daisy. Since these were so different, I wanted to expetience shifting gears between the two pieces. The grays in the daisy really make the simple flower more complex and a little gloomy, but the bright colors in the fuchsias feel the opposite.

The dahlia was one of the most difficult pieces I've created, and no 2D image can do it justice. I used a lot of texture medium on this one to really add depth to the layers of petals. With the complex shading and turns of color, this took several layers to complete. I painted it in grisaille style which allowed me to use exaggerated values on my texture layer. I mixed some of the gel medium with the lighter grays and whites to give a bit more lift in my layers. I added several layers of color on top, and I finished off with some touch ups in the deep grays.

While at the Art Crawl, I brought a project to occupy my time. Since I've been feverishly working on projects for the crawl and for other charity events lately, I decided to bring something that was just for my little ones. They outgrew their old winter hats, so I used a pattern written by my mom and made them each a new one.

While there were a few discrepencies in how I did the pattern (the biggest being how tight I keep my tension making these a little on the small side), both hats are absolutely adorable. It was a fun enough pattern to make that I'm considering making another pair in a bit larger size. The original pattern also called for it to be made in rows instead of the round, so I may also see if this is a better way to manage the rib details.

The Fall St. Paul Art Crawl was a marked improvement in experience than in the spring. While I didn't see a huge change in money, I'm so happy to have met the residents in the Tilsner building, seen many artists, and really felt welcomed by the community in Lowertown. There was a lot working against this art crawl bringing people into the neighborhood: Road closures were at a high threshold this weekend, and it was nearly impossible to drive into the area. Add in that the (usually free for the Art Crawl) Light Rail Transit wasn't running on these eastern stops, it was just hard to get there.

This Fall, I changed buildings and moved into Lowertown. I showed in the Tilsner building, and I am absolutely smitten with what they had to offer their guest artists. The residents were welcoming and helpful in every way and contributed to a sense of belonging within the community of artists. I really felt at home there. The architecture contributed to the feel of the building: instead of being isolated within a single floor, the hallways are connected with open areas allowing natural light, noise, and music to flow through the whole space. The experience was captivating. I've definitely found my new home for these art crawl weekends.